Best Films of the 1960s List

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Last Updated: 3/22/22
Note: It's simple and straightforward: the best films of the decade in cinema history for 1960s. In order to be considered, the films must have been released any time from 1960 to 1969 according to IMDb. Multiple parts (i.e. duology, trilogy, etc.) can be put together as one if there's a continuation in the narrative. Miniseries and telefilms are fair game, but documentaries are excluded.

These films have made the cut because they have shown brilliance in most, if not all, aspects: acting, characters, screenplay, plot, direction, editing, cinematography, and so on. They must also be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Then, I think about cultural phenomenon, uniqueness, famous movie moments, iconic scenes and/or lines, cinematic power, and timelessness.

This list is based on what I have seen so far and is limited to the top 10 with 5 honorable mentions in that order.



  1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    2.

    A magnificently made masterpiece, it's David Lean's magnum opus. One of the most remarkable jobs he did with his characters is not only to make them larger than life but also mysterious in terms of their ambitions and desires. Thanks to Freddie Young's spellbinding cinematography, it's impossible to deny the power of the desert that Lawrence of Arabia brings to the screen.


  2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

    3. Birth. Evolution. Mankind. Age. Exploration. Universe. Death. 2001: A Space Odyssey...you'll never see anything like it, a brilliant visionary picture that's abstract, beautiful, complicated, and simple all at once. Considering the year the movie was made in—and that's not 1968—but 1963 which is five years of work to make the vision possible.


  3. The Miracle Worker (1962)

    4. The Miracle Worker is a powerful, moving story about how Helen Keller was shown the light through language. The Oscar wins for Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft are deserving, and the former's performance is in the top ten of all time. It's impossible not to be moved by all of this.


  4. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

    5. Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman give the best performances of their careers. They'll be forever remembered for this film. Midnight Cowboy is a study of human nature: the hopes, the broken dreams, the disillusionment, the desperation, the suffering, the loneliness, and the loss of innocence. They're all brilliantly read on Jon Voight's face. The "I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!" scene is priceless.


  5. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

    6. The Manchurian Candidate is a brilliantly made political thriller picture with the most complex editing imaginable. Now, remember the book was written in 1959 and the film was released in 1962 which was more than one year before JFK's assassination. The President knew all about it and gave the filmmakers his expressed approval to go ahead with the project. Pretty chilling stuff.


  6. Psycho (1960)

    7. This psycho-sexual thriller went on to become the game changer of the slasher genre. Taking a shower will never be the same again. Poor Marion Crane, she was the principal character for forty-eight minutes into the film and, all of a sudden, got bumped off in one of the greatest and most shocking scenes in cinema history. There's no actor who played a more famous villain than Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. Alfred Hitchcock was truly the Master of Suspense.


  7. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

    8. Two acting powerhouses come clashing each other in In the Heat of the Night: Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. As Virgil Tibbs, Sidney Poitier is magical and has two iconic scenes: "They call me MISTER Tibbs!" and when he slapped Mr. Endicott back. Of the latter, you could hear a pin drop in the middle of the Deep South.


  8. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

    9. BonnieC Because of the full range of colors, Bonnie and Clyde is a beautifully photographed film with impeccable acting performances. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway have chemistry that's impossible to duplicate. Their violent ending is unforgettable as well.


  9. The Great Escape (1963)

    10. By far one of the most thrilling movies made, The Great Escape...there's nothing like it. Steve McQueen's performance as Captain Virgil Hilts, aka The Cooler King, cements his status as an international superstar because of the motorcycle scenes. Who can forget the iconic jump at the end? The chemistry of the all-star cast, the story, and the dramatic escape are the reasons behind the film's quick pace.


  10. À bout de souffle (1960)

    11. One of the greatest films in French cinema, À bout de souffle immortalized Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg forever. The jump cuts are famous and many classic scenes are seemingly improvisational, but there's a James Dean quality that's exercised by the leading stars: infinite flexibility. It doesn't happen much in films.



Honorable Mentions: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Lilies of the Field (1963), Easy Rider (1969), Night of the Living Dead (1968), and The Wild Bunch (1969)